NPR News

Why would you attach a moth to a robot so that it could maneuver around a wind tunnel? Not to create some sort of science fiction monster. The goal is to learn more about how to detect dangerous odors. Moths' antennae may provide some clues.

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That means there will be only one carrier in the Gulf. For the past several years, the Pentagon has tried to maintain an overlap of two carriers because of regional tensions.

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The incident comes just after Kevin Prince-Boateng walked off the pitch after hearing racist chants. At the time, the club's president praised the move.

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There's nothing better on a cold day than a warm bowl of soup. But when did our ancestors first brew up this tasty broth? New archaeological evidence suggests that soup making could be tens of thousands of years old.

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Wisdom, a Laysan albatross who nests at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the North Pacific Ocean, is thought to be at least 62 years old. She's raised an estimated 30 to 35 chicks over the years and flown at least 2 million miles, scientists say.

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As the 2014 deadline looms for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, there's a debate over what kind of military hardware the U.S. will provide in its wake. Afghanistan wants tanks and planes for conventional warfare. But the U.S. says the Afghans need to focus on counterinsurgency.

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As the 2014 deadline looms for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, there's a debate over what kind of military hardware the U.S. will provide in its wake. Afghanistan wants tanks and planes for conventional warfare. But the U.S. says the Afghans need to focus on counterinsurgency.

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Chokri Belaid was a vocal opponent of extremists who pushed for Islamic law in Tunisia. The moderate Islamist government, however, said his assassination was an attack on the "revolution as a whole."

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Sally Jewell, REI's CEO, would succeed Secretary Ken Salazar. She's a former engineer at Mobil.

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The economy may be on the rebound, but life is getting tougher for some people in the middle class. With rising gas prices, insurance costs, and higher payroll taxes, people are feeling squeezed. Host Michel Martin asks if there's any financial relief in sight.

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Valentine's Day is around the corner. Maybe you're eyeing chocolate, roses or something sparkly for your sweetheart? Mark Di Vincenzo cautions you to think about your timing. The author of Buy Shoes on Wednesday and Tweet at 4:00, says increased demand makes February one of the worst times to buy traditional gifts.

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In her 'Can I Just Tell You' essay, host Michel Martin talks about the different choices of two remarkable women: Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who survived being shot by the Taliban for supporting girls' education; and Essie Mae Washington-Williams, who was the biracial child of segregationist Senator Strom Thurmond.

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This week, bi-partisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill to make it harder for convicted felons to get guns. They hope the move will help reduce illegal gun sales and violence. Host Michel Martin talks with one of the bill's sponsors, Congressman Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat.

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Many policymakers who oppose tighter gun laws have said gun ownership is important to women's safety. The writers and journalists of the 'Beauty Shop' share their thoughts on the role gender plays in the gun debate.

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They're getting hit with a double whammy: a spike in gas prices and smaller paychecks because a payroll tax break expired. That combination could dampen consumer spending, economists say.

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The Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general is looking at the records kept about allegedly chronic polluters and whether regulators have been doing enough to enforce environmental laws.

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We talk with the Monopoly iron about its career as a token.

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The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday announced that it plans to halt Saturday mail delivery, a major shift in operations that the agency says it must make in order to keep from bleeding billions of dollars every year. Package deliveries would continue under the plan.

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Cortisone shots offer quick relief for tendon problems. But they also carry a risk of side effects. A look at alternatives for treatment of tennis elbow finds that being patient may be the best approach to take.

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The little boy survived being held by a killer for nearly a week in an underground bunker. He's said to be acting "like a normal kid" now, and like most children he's likely to be resilient. But experts say he's likely to remember his ordeal for the rest of his life.

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